Are these Premier League managers already in the firing line?

The Premier League is only five games into a long season but for some teams, the pressure on them, and their managers is building already. Let’s take a look at a few who could be looking for work elsewhere fairly soon.

It’s difficult to be too critical of Luton’s start to life in the Premier League given their lack of financial clout, needing to re-do some of their stadium to meet Premier League standards and having four of their first five games at home. But with zero points from a possible 15, it’s not looking good.

Against Fulham on Saturday, Luton set up very defensively and tried to score on the counter. Another day, they put away one of the chances they created, which is a very different story. This was a game where points were available but Luton played very defensively and eventually, it cost them.

Probably not, Edwards was key in getting Luton promoted in the first place and deserves time to get settled into the Premier League. That being said, it could be a short life in the top flight for the Hatters if they don’t turn things around quickly.

Kompany took a recently relegated Burnley side and turned them into an attacking, possession-based juggernaut in the 2022 Championship, winning the league by 10 points. Three games into the new Premier League season Burnley are without a point, struggling to score and sieve-like in defence.

On paper, things look worse than in reality given The Clarets have only played three games so far so have had fewer chances to gain points. Having said that, they have conceded a league-high 11 goals (tied with Wolverhampton who have played two more games) suggesting there is work to be done.

Much like Edwards at Luton, Kompany’s run in the 22/23 season was so impressive, to jettison him now would be too reactive. The Premier League waits for no man, however, and against that backdrop, Burnely could find themselves fighting for their Premier League lives very soon.

Wolves are another team that has started the season very poorly. In their case, it has included a great deal of bad luck, with a terrible decision not to award them a penalty against Manchester United and an early lead against Liverpool that they let slip.

It has been a difficult start to the season with Brighton, Manchester United and Liverpool all in their first five games but after conceding 11 goals and only scoring five, it may be time to start worrying.

It may not be a huge shock Wolves haven’t started the season well given what transpired over the summer. They lost midfielders Ruben Never and Matheus Nunes without real replacements and manager Julen Lopetegui left in August given the club’s lack of expenditure.

Now, the chances of Pochettino actually being sacked this early into his tenure is very unlikely but given Chelsea’s history of chopping and changing, it is certainly one to keep an eye on.

Chelsea sit 14th in the Prem with just one win from five, and that against a struggling Luton team many expect to go down. A home loss to Nottingham Forest was a dreadful performance and an insipid 0-0 draw away to Bournemouth showcased just how far they need to come to be the Chelsea team of old.

A team that has invested so much money in recent windows must be expecting more by now. Admittedly there has been huge personnel turnover but this is a team worse than the sum of its parts right now, which all comes back to the manager. Poch deserves some time given his record but he won’t be able to hang onto that forever.

Ten Hag looked to have turned things around for United last season, leading them into the Champions League and generally being a competitive team all season. So far in the 23/24 season, they have looked a shell of that team, winning twice but losing three times in their opening five games.

A lot can be said about Ten Hag’s public statements about his players, a move most managers tend to avoid. Given his outspoken criticism of Jadon Sancho and the results going against him, there must be a point when his schtick runs thin for his players.

In United’s losses so far this season, it seems as though Ten Hag has outright refused to accept any blame, instead, he has pointed the finger almost exclusively at referees. His outburst following his side's loss to Arsenal was almost Klopp-esque (without the winning and world-class team…)

Dyche did well to keep Everton up last year after picking up the pieces of Frank Lampard’s awful spell in charge. This season things have started badly, with the Merseyside club only scoring twice in five games, sitting in 18th with just one point. Everton are in the process of being sold so don't expect any immediate movement until things settle down.

For all these managers, and everyone else in the Premier League, the season is very young, with another 33 games to go. It is very difficult to turn around a difficult start to a season, especially when you’re near the bottom of the league.